Mail-bag catcher.



. H. 0. GOLDSMITH.

MAIL BAG GATOHER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1909.

931,921. Patented A 24, 1909.

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al to'onmg HENRY 'G GOLDSMITH, F FRENCH CAMP, CALIFORNIA.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER.

931 92 1. Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 8, 1909.

Patented An n 24, 1909.

Serial No. 481,881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY C. GOLDSMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at French Camp, in the county of San Joaquin and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- Bag Catchers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for catching and holding mail bags delivered from or to a moving train; the objectof the invention being to produce a catch which will not only engage and remove the mail bag from the crane, but will close in 011 and grip the same in such manner as to hold the same firmly and securely and prevent the same from falling to the ground. Also to produce a simple, inexpensive and yet efiective device for the purpose. These objects I accomplish by means of a rod operatively connected with which is a jaw or catch member held in a normal projecting position from said rod by a catch mechanism, such jaw or catch member being adapted to receive the mail bag, the bag engaging a trigger releasing means whereby said catch mechanism is released permitting a tension spring member to drive said jaw or catch member against said rod thereby gripping and holding the mail bag closely against said rod and preventing the same from falling to the ground. 1 also employ such other and further construction and relative arrangement of parts as will more fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a mail car showing my mechanism ready to receive the mail bag. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of my improved catch.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings 1 designates the railway and 2 a mail car thereon.

3 is the mail crane holding standard at the side of the track and 1 are the side braces thereof, while 5 are the crane arms swinging on the standard 3 and holding the mail bag 6 ready for delivery to the car 2. On the lower one of the rods 5 I provide an ad'- justable sleeve 7 carrying a projecting square flange 8 having an ear member 5) on which is pivotally mounted a lever jaw or catch member 10 having an inwardly projecting arm 11 at its rear end, such arm 11 having a dog 12 at its inner end normally engaging a hook like catch 13 on a rod 14 slidably disposed through the flange 8 and having a transverse trigger member 15 at its other end, there being a spring 15 interposed between said trigger 15 and said flange 8 to maintain said -trigger 15 and rod 1 1 in normal position to maintain the hook 13 in engagement with the dog 12.

In practice the mail bag 22 passes between the rod 5 and the projecting jaw member 10 and strikes the trigger 1 1 driving it and the rod 13 backward disengaging the hook 13 from the dog 12 and permitting a spring 17 interposed between the flange 8 and member 10 to move the member 10 on its pivotal point a to drive its outer end 6 into close contact with the rod 5 thus gripping the mail bag firmly and preventing it from falling to the ground. lVhen the mail bag is released, the member 10 is pulled back to normal position, the spring 16 permitting the dog 12 to snap readily into the hook 13, and the device is again ready for service. Projecting outward from the member 10 is an arm 18 pivoted at 19 and having a slot 20 in its lower end movable over a pin 21 to allow a certain amount of play. Normally the arm 18 bears against one of the braces 4 and when the member 10 closes against the rod 5, the arm 18 naturally travels a trifle forward and thus permits the rods 5 to move back farther thus giving more clearance from the train to avoid any danger of striking a passenger who might have head or limb projecting. The adjustable sleeve member 7 permits the catch to be changed from one side to the other of said rod 5 to catch a mail bag coming from one direction or the other as the case may be.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

Vhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention What I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A mail bag catcher comprising a rod, a sleeve member thereon, a rod slidable through said sleeve, a jaw member held normally by said last named rod at a spaced distance from said first named rod, and means whereby an object passing between said first named rod and said jaw member will release said last named rod from engagement with said jaw member.

2. A mail bag catcher comprising a rod,

a sleeve thereon, a flange on said sleeve, a rod movable in said sleeve, a hook at one end of said rod and a trigger at the other end, a spring interposed between said trigger and said flange, a lever pivotally mounted on said flange, an arm on said lever, a dog 011 said arm normally engaging said hook, and a spring interposed between said flange and said lever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 25 in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY O. GOLDSMITH. Witnesses:

PERCY S. W'EBs'rER, WM. B. GRIFFIN. 

